Bodycam video of Thompson Ranch El Mirage Arizona police tasing and arrest incident

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El Mirage, Arizona – On August 12, 2022 at approximately 10:30 a.m., a 911 call from Thompson Ranch Elementary School reported an armed man near campus that prompted a lockdown. Family members of several students, identified as Vicente Raul Castaneda and Johnathan Vincent Davis, appeared on scene.

Bodycam video shows Castaneda telling officers he needed to enter the school as his sister was in the building and she was his responsibility. A man in plain clothes, identified in the video as an assistant principal, assures Castaneda the suspect had not entered the building. This prompted the brother to shake hands with him and an officer. Castaneda is asked by the officer to return to the parking lot.

The bodycam video then segues to another man, identified as Davis and the father of a female student. Davis is seen trying to scale a fence of the school building and tells someone who appears to be an officer not to touch him. According to text in the bodycam video, an officer tells Davis "he is 'not helping things' and that he was starting to make people panic by saying there was an 'active shooter.'" Neither footage nor audio released show Davis saying either things. Text early on in the video states not everything seen by officers is captured by the body cameras.

Bodycam footage then shows the officer putting his right hand on Davis' left shoulder, prompting the father to tell him not to touch him. Castaneda then appears and gets in between Davis and the officer, saying, "You need to back up, man. You need to back up. Come on, bro, you know better."

Text in the bodycam video then states Castaneda, Davis and a woman identified as Darlene Gonzales, became "confrontational" with police. "Based on observations by officers of Castaneda's continued disruption of government operations and disorderly conduct, officers were directed to arrest him," text in the video reads.

Body cam footage from afar then shows an officer with his left hand on Castaneda's chest as Davis approaches. The footage nears the scene but a convergence of people obstructs the view of what happens shortly thereafter. The footage released by police does not include what was happening from the body cam vantage of the officer interacting with Castaneda during this part.

People in plainclothes are seen pulling Castaneda back. A woman is seen pulling Castaneda away while others, including officers, pull her away before she falls to the ground. It is unclear who this woman is. Also, in the background, a person who appears to be Davis can be seen lying on the ground. As this happens, someone is heard saying, "Hey, there's a gun," and shouts of "Gun!" can be heard multiple times. "During the arrest, Castaneda lost possession of his concealed handgun from his waistband. Several officers yelled 'Gun' and Castaneda was tased and arrested," text in the video reads. In this part of the video, a handgun can be seen at the feet of Castaneda. Body cam footage then shows Davis before a stun gun is used on him. "Davis had been pushed back several feet from the incident and his mother attempted to stop him from reengaging in the incident. As officers attempted to arrest Castaneda, Davis yelled, 'Hey,' threw his hands in the air and ran at an officer in an aggressive manner, who then tased him to gain compliance," text in the video reads.

Castaneda is charged with misconduct involving weapons, possessing a firearm on school campus, obstructing governmental operations and disorderly conduct, while Davis is charged with disorderly conduct. Gonzales had not been arrested at the school, but charges were pending.